Driving mechanism for washing machines



W. ERNI.

- DRIVING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, fem.

entree rates Parent castes;

WALTER Emu, or MILWAUKE Wisconsin;

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR WASHING lllIAQEI-NES.

' Application filed June 25,

To all whom it may concern.

' Be it known that I, WALTER ERNI, a citi: zen of the United States,residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism for WashingMachines, of which the followin isa specification.

ily invention relates to improvements in washing machines.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means for utilizingthe power of a small motor'to impart reciprocating motion to a washingdrum. Also to provide meansfor readily disengaging the power transmitting connections from the drum without stopping the. motor, andreengaging the same at. pleasure while the motor is run ning. A furtherobject of my invention is to provide means whereby the movements of thedrummay be reversed without shock to the'motor'and power transmittingconnections.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an end elevation of a washing machine,embodyingmy invention. l

. Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the 1 from a manually operated lever'40'which same in side elevation; c

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughoutthe several The frame includesoa set of legs l at each end whichconvergeand support a bearing member 2, in which trunnions 3 projecting axially,from anoscillatory drum 4 are mounted. The drum 4is an ordinarywashshown,- and provided with a shelfll at its" upper' 'end to support a'motor 12. The

ower of the motor is applied to the drum t roughpinion13 and a train ofgears and 1 pinions 14, 15, 16, 17 :and18, together with a connectingrod l9pivotally secured to a i crank 20 on gear wheel, 18, and havingits lower end' pivotally connected with .a sliding rack bar 21'h'av1ngteeth 22 inmesh with the'teeth 23 of pinion 24 mounted upon trunnion 3.I v

The shaft 25 which carries gear wheel 18.

preferably extends longitudinally from one end of the machine to theother, and is supw 1917. Serial No. 176,743.

- ported'at its respective ends by an arm 10 Specification of LettersExtent. Patented July 118, 1922, i

by gear wheel 18, connecting rod 19, rack bar 21 and pinion 24, as abovedescribed. The desirability of driving the drum at both machine. Forsmall machines it is suiiicient to actuate the drumat one end only.

Back bar 21 is mounted to slide upon a swinging supporting inember orlever 30,

ends will depend largely on the size of the this lever being providedwith a suitable projection 31 loosely engaged in a slot 32 in the rackbar and serving as a guide along which therackbar- 21 may bereciprocated; In theposition in which the parts are illustrated by fulllines in Figure 1 the teeth 22 of the rack bar are in engagement withthe teeth 23 of pinion 24, but the member'30 is adapted to be swung uponits pivotal con- ,nection with the frame, at 35 to the dotted lineposition indicated in Figure 1, thereby withdrawing the rack bar frompinion 24 to disengage the power transmitting con transmits motionthrough rock shaft 41, arm 42, and link"43, the latter being pivoted tothe lower end of member 30 at 44, whereby when the lever; is swung togdotted line position the rack will=be disengaged from pinion 24.. Lever40'is provided with a man'- ually operable latch 45, whereby it may belocked in either the drum actuating ordrum releasing position. I For thelarger machines shaft 41 will be extended from one end-or the irametofthe other and the lever and link connections duplieated at theopposite end of-the machine to swing the rack 21 intoand outjof pinonengagingposition at that end" simultaneously with thecorrespondingmovements of the rack-21 at the end illustrated in Figure'1.

l/Vith he construction illustrated, it is loated in two directions, therack moving downwardly during the. firsthalf turn of gear wheel l8 'an'dupwardly during the last obvious that with 'each complete revolution;

halfturnjwhen the gear is revolved in the direction indicated by"thearrow'in Figure 1. T-t'is' therefore obviousthat the-drum will berotatedin one direction during'the first half turn of said gear wheel18, and in the other direction during the last half turn, the movementof the drum ceasing in each case when crank pin a proaches the socalleddead center line. Owingto the fact that the movement of the drum isreversed when the crank crosses the dead center line it is obvious thatthe reversal will latory rack adapted to be thrown into and out of meshwith said pinion, a guide for said rack pivotally mounted to swing abouta point above said pinion, means for reciprocating said rack, a bellcrank lever linked to the lower end of said guide for movin said rackinto and out of mesh with said plnion, said bell crank lever having asubstantially vertically disposed manually operable arm, and meanscarried by said arm for positively locking said arm in either of its twoextreme positions.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

WALTER ERNI.

